Good Samaritan, Coast Guard rescues 4 near Barnegat Light, N.J.

BARNEGAT LIGHT, N.J. – A good Samaritan along with the Coast Guard rescued four people 32 miles east of Barnegat Light after their 80-foot clamming vessel lost steering and was taking on water Thursday.

The Coast Guard received a call at approximately 4:30 a.m. from a crewmember aboard the New Sea Rover reporting they were taking on water due to a steering problem.

The Coast Guard issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast and the crew of the fishing vessel Star Light responded to the UMIB. They arrived on scene and are towing the boat and its crew to Atlantic City, N.J.

A rescue helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City and a rescue boat crew from Coast Guard Station Manasquan Inlet, N.J., arrived on scene to assess the situation for assistance if needed.

“The crew of the New Sea Rover was equipped with survival suits and were well prepared in case the situation escalated,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Blake, an operations unit controller at Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay in Philadelphia.